What's happening
This bill allows pharmacists in New York to administer hepatitis A and B vaccines, in addition to other specified immunizations.
Why it matters
Expanding pharmacists’ role in immunization. could improve public health by increasing access points for hepatitis A and B vaccines, especially for adults who may not regularly visit primary care providers.
Streamlining vaccine administration in pharmacies. may help address outbreaks or prevent the spread of hepatitis A and B, diseases that have seen periodic spikes and can present significant health risks in vulnerable populations.
Allowing both physician and nurse practitioner standing orders. for these vaccines ensures flexibility in how immunizations are delivered, potentially reducing bottlenecks in busy healthcare settings and supporting broader immunization campaigns.
Immediate effect upon enactment. means the expanded access could be available quickly, potentially impacting ongoing vaccination efforts or responses to current disease trends.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Let Pharmacists Give Hepatitis Shots
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to higher education
- Print number 2250a
- Amend and recommit to higher education
- Referred to higher education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Let Pharmacists Give Hepatitis Shots
In Assembly Committee · Higher Education · Sponsor Richard Gottfried
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2250--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 23, 2019
Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education -committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to pharmacist immunizations
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 7 of section 6527 of the education law, as amended by chapter 46 of the laws of 2015, is amended to read as follows:
7. A licensed physician may prescribe and order a patient specific order or non-patient specific regimen to a licensed pharmacist, pursuant to regulations promulgated by the commissioner, and consistent with the public health law, for administering immunizations to prevent influenza, pneumococcal, acute herpes zoster, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal, tetanus, diphtheria or pertussis disease and medications required for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis. Nothing in this subdivision shall authorize unlicensed persons to administer immunizations, vaccines or other drugs.
§ 2. Subdivision 22 of section 6802 of the education law, as amended by section 2 of part DD of chapter 57 of the laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows:
22. "Administer", for the purpose of section sixty-eight hundred one of this article, means:
a. the direct application of an immunizing agent to adults, whether by injection, ingestion, inhalation or any other means, pursuant to a patient specific order or non-patient specific regimen prescribed or ordered by a physician or certified nurse practitioner, who has a practice site in the county or adjoining county in which the immunization is administered, for immunizations to prevent influenza, pneumococcal,
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03797-03-9
S. 2250--A 2
acute herpes zoster, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal, tetanus, diphtheria or pertussis disease and medications required for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis. If the commissioner of health determines that there is an outbreak of disease, or that there is the imminent threat of an outbreak of disease, then the commissioner of health may issue a non-patient specific regimen applicable statewide.
b. the direct application of an immunizing agent to children between the ages of two and eighteen years of age, whether by injection, ingestion, inhalation or any other means, pursuant to a patient specific order or non-patient specific regimen prescribed or ordered by a physician or certified nurse practitioner, who has a practice site in the county or adjoining county in which the immunization is administered, for immunization to prevent influenza and medications required for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis resulting from such immunization. If the commissioner of health determines that there is an outbreak of influenza, or that there is the imminent threat of an outbreak of influenza, then the commissioner of health may issue a non-patient specific regimen applicable statewide.
§ 3. Subdivision 7 of section 6909 of the education law, as amended by chapter 46 of the laws of 2015, is amended to read as follows:
7. A certified nurse practitioner may prescribe and order a patient specific order or non-patient specific regimen to a licensed pharmacist, pursuant to regulations promulgated by the commissioner, and consistent with the public health law, for administering immunizations to prevent influenza, pneumococcal, acute herpes zoster, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal, tetanus, diphtheria or pertussis disease and medications required for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis. Nothing in this subdivision shall authorize unlicensed persons to administer immunizations, vaccines or other drugs.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that:
(a) the amendments to subdivision 7 of section 6527 of the education law made by section one of this act shall not affect the expiration of such subdivision and shall be deemed to expire therewith;
(b) the amendments to subdivision 22 of section 6802 of the education law made by section two of this act shall not affect the expiration of such subdivision pursuant to section 8 of chapter 563 of the laws of 2008, as amended, and shall be deemed repealed therewith; and
(c) the amendments to subdivision 7 of section 6909 of the education law, made by section three of this act shall not affect the expiration of such subdivision and shall be deemed to expire therewith.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to pharmacist immunizations
Purpose or general idea of bill
Authorizes pharmacists and certified nurse practitioners to provide immunizations for hepatitis A and hepatitis B.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill amends subdivision 7 of section 6527 of the educa- tion law to add hepatitis A and hepatitis B to the list of diseases for which a licensed physician may prescribe and order a patient specific order or non-patient specific regimen to a licensed pharmacist for administering immunizations.
Read the full memo (901 words)
Section 2 of the bill amends subdivision 22 of section 6802 of the education law to add hepatitis A and hepatitis B to the list of diseases found in the definition of "administer," for the purposes of section 6801 of the education law.
Section 3 of the bill amends subdivision 7 of section 6909 of the educa- tion law to add hepatitis A and hepatitis B to the list of diseases for which a certified nurse practitioner may prescribe and order a patient- specific order or non-patient specific regimen to a licensed pharmacist for administering immunizations.
Section 4 of the bill establishes the effective date.
Justification
Hepatitis A and B are both serious, highly communicable diseases of the liver caused by viral infections. However, both diseases are vaccine preventable and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend vaccination as the best way to prevent these diseases.
According to the CDC, hepatitis A is a highly contagious, serious liver disease that often manifests as fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, joint pain, severe stomach pains and diarrhea, and/or jaundice, and can lead to liver failure or death. Since 1996, hepatitis A vaccinations have been recommended for adults in the United States, and the number of cases reported annually has dropped from 31,000 to approximately 100 nationwide. Approximately 50 percent of adults with hepatitis A are hospitalized.
The CDC recommends that people, should get the hepatitis A vaccination if they are traveling to countries where hepatitis A is common; if they are a man who has sex with other men; if they,uge illegal drugs; if they have chronic liver diseases such as hepatitis B or.C; if they are being treated with clotting-factor concentrates; if they work with hepatitis A-infected animals or in a hepatitis A research laboratory; or if they expect to have close personal contact with an international adoptee from a country where hepatitis :A is common. In New York City, the estimated hepatitis A vaccination rate for children ages 11-18 was 93 percent for one dose and 80% for the recommended two doses in 2016. However, many adults have not been vaccinated and remain susceptible. Additionally, the CDC designates the following populations to be at risk for hepatitis B: infants born to infected mothers; sex partners of infected persons; men who have sex with other men; injection drug users; household members or sexual partners of someone with a chronic HBV infection; health care and public safety workerp at risk for occupa- tional exposure to blood or blood-contaminated body fluids; and hemo- dialysis patients.
New York is the only state that does not authorize pharmacists to admin- ister hepatitis A and B vaccinations. Forty-six states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico permit pharmacists to give any vaccination approved by the CDC's Advisory Committee on immunization Practices (ACIP) - including hepatitis A and B - and three other states (Florida, West Virginia, and Wyoming) explicitly allow pharmacists to administer the hepatitis A and B vaccine.
In September 2017, the New York City Health Department reported an outbreak of hepatitis A among 40 men living in the City, primarily men who had sex or sexual contact with other men - representing a 10-fold increase over previous years The Health Department has recommended that men who have regular sexual contact with other men receive the vaccine for the disease.
More recently, New York City Health officials have reported at least 17 cases of Hepatitis A among men who have sex with men so far in 2019. None of those 17 patients had received the hepatitis A vaccine, and City Officials urged all men who have sex with men to receive their vaccina- tions.
New York State already allows pharmacists and certified nurse practi- tioners to administer vaccinations for influenza, pneumococcal, acute herpes zoster, meningococcal, tetanus, diphtheria or pertussis disease. Making the vaccination for hepatitis A and B more widely available will help quell the current outbreak of the disease and prevent future outbreaks.
Legislative history
2018: S.7189-A (Hoylman) - Died in Higher Education
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that: (a) the amendments to subdivision 7 of section 6527 of the education law made by section one of this act shall not affect the expiration of such subdivision and shall be deemed to expire therewith; (b) the amendments to subdivision 22 of section 6802 of the education law made by section two of this act shall be subject to the expiration of such subdivision pursuant to section 8 of chapter 563 of the laws of 2008, as amended, and shall be deemed repealed therewith; (c) the amendments to subdivision 7 of section 6909 of the education law, made by section three of this act shall not affect the expiration of such subdivision and shall be deemed to expire therewith.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.